Culture, Christianity, Catholic Dogma & The Death Of
The West

The removal Fr Michael Rodriguez from his parish by
his Bishop has been seriously underreported. This
priest is clearly being persecuted for standing
against the homosexual mafia in El Paso and standing
up for Church teaching on homosexuality. Here is
recent interview with this Diocesan priest from the
Remnant...
(www.RemnantNewspaper.com)Michael J.
Matt (MJM):
First off, Father, I'd like to thank you for the
stand you've taken in recent months in defense of the
Church's moral teaching, especially with respect to
so-called 'gay marriage'. Catholics all across the
country have been following your case, and we're
delighted to have a chance today to ask you a few
questions. Before we get into the "controversy",
however, I wonder if you'd mind telling us a little
something about your personal background?
Father Rodriguez (FR): Not at all. I was born in El
Paso, Texas, on August 23, 1970, the middle child of
five. Many years later my parents adopted a sixth
child, my youngest sister. As I grew up in the early
'70s, I was completely unaware of the disastrous
post-Vatican II revolution that was sweeping
throughout our beloved Catholic Church. Thanks be to
God, I was raised by parents who were staunch
Catholics with their childhood roots in the
pre-Vatican II Catholicism of México. An example of
the depth of these roots is that my maternal
grandmother (born in 1906, in Aguascalientes, México)
never accepted the Novus Ordo. She left this passing
world in August 2002, always true to the Ancient
Rite. Requiescat in pace. Even though my parents had
accepted and adapted to Novus Ordo Catholicism during
their post-collegiate years, they nevertheless raised
us similar to how they had been raised: fidelity to
Mass (albeit the Novus Ordo) and Confession, praying
the Holy Rosary at home in the evenings, praying
novenas and the Stations of the Cross, etc. As I
reflect back on my childhood, it was a time of great
grace and blessings. Even though my parents failed to
hold fast to all the venerable traditions of our
Faith and the Ancient Rite, they still did an
excellent job of instilling the Faith in us.
Interestingly enough, we four older children (born
between '67 and '74) are now ardent supporters of the
Traditional Latin Mass, even more so than our
parents.

MJM:
And are there one or two persons in your life that
mentored you and helped you to remain open to God’s
call?

FR: My parents, Ruben and Beatrice, were the ones who
were most instrumental in my eventual discernment of
a vocation to God's holy priesthood. Through my
father, God blessed me with discipline, fortitude,
perseverance, and a love for study. Through my
mother, God graced me with the convictions of faith,
awe for the Catholic priesthood, a tender devotion to
our Blessed Mother, and a love of religion.

MJM:
At what point in your life did you know you had a
vocation?

FR: I was raised in El Paso, TX, but spent four years
(1981-1984) living with my family in Augsburg,
Germany. We returned to El Paso, and I began high
school. Following my junior year, I spent the summer
(1987) at M.I.T. University in Cambridge, MA. I was
participating in a special program for gifted
minority students from around the nation. The program
was geared to recruiting us to study engineering and
science at M.I.T. as undergraduates. Well, our good
God had different plans for me! I left El Paso that
summer thinking I'd study electrical engineering
(like my father) upon graduating from high school,
only to return from Boston six weeks later,
announcing that I wanted to enter the seminary! My
mother was overjoyed.

MJM:
Clearly, someone was looking out for you. Do you have
a favorite saint, by the way?

FR: My favorite saints are: St. Michael the
Archangel, St. John the Baptist (largely due to my 9
1/2 years at this El Paso parish), St. Paul the
Apostle, St. Ignatius Loyola, St. Alphonsus Liguori,
and, to no surprise, the holy Curé of Ars. I have a
special devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary under
three of her specific titles: Immaculate Conception
(I was ordained to the priesthood on Dec. 8, 1996),
Mater Dolorosa, and Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe.

MJM:
And, liturgically—where would you place yourself? I
know you offer the traditional Latin Mass, but is it
accurate to describe you as an outright
“traditionalist”?
FR: Liturgically, I'm 100% behind the Traditional
Latin Mass, which is without question the true Mass
of the Roman Catholic Church. Theology, liturgy,
Catholic spirituality and asceticism, and history
itself all point to the obvious superiority of the
Classical Roman Rite. Unfortunately, all of my
seminary formation was in the Novus Ordo, and I only
"discovered" the Latin Mass about six years ago, so I
still have a lot to learn in terms of "real
Catholicism," i.e. "traditional Catholicism."
MJM: What was it initially that led you to begin
offering the old Mass?

FR: About six years ago, several members of the
faithful began asking me if I would be interested in
offering the Traditional Latin Mass. At the time,
there was serious concern on the part "El Paso's
remnant" of traditional Catholics that the Jesuit
priest who was offering the Latin Mass twice a month
(under the 1988 Ecclesia Dei "Indult") was going to
be transferred. Thus, they were looking for another
priest who would be willing to offer the Latin Mass.
At first, I declined, not so much because I wasn't
interested, but due to the immense workload which I
was already carrying.

As the weeks passed, I began to study the prayers and
theology of the Traditional Latin Mass. The more I
studied, the more my awe and amazement grew. I was
"discovering" not only the true Catholic theology of
the Mass, but also the true Catholic theology of the
priesthood, and so much more! Throughout my first
nine years of priesthood, I had struggled to make
sense of the very serious problems which exist in the
Church. At this point, it was obvious that an extreme
crisis pervaded the Church and her hierarchy, but
why? I just couldn't quite understand how all of this
"diabolical disorientation" had come to pass . . .
until the brilliant light of the true Catholic Mass
("Emitte lucem tuam et veritatem tuam . . .") began
to penetrate my priestly soul. This "discovery" of
the Traditional Latin Mass has been, by far, the
greatest gift of God to my poor priesthood.

MJM:
So this gives us an idea of how Pope Benedict's motu
proprio Summorum Pontificum can and does impact
priests who might otherwise never have had the
opportunity to discover this great treasure. Given
how it impacted you, how do you believe Summorum
Pontificum will impact the Church long
term?

FR: Unfortunately, both Summorum Pontificum and
Universæ Ecclesiæ have plenty of weaknesses.
Nevertheless, these documents do represent an initial
step in what will probably still be a long and
arduous "Calvary," i.e. the quest of traditional
Catholics to restore the Cross, the Mass, the
kingship of Jesus Christ, and true Catholic doctrine,
outside of which there is no salvation. In Article 1
of Summorum Pontificum, Pope Benedict XVI writes that
"due honor must be given to the Roman Missal
promulgated by St. Pius V for its venerable and
ancient usage." This directive of our Holy Father is
currently being disobeyed almost universally. In the
accompanying letter to the world's bishops (July 7,
2007), Pope Benedict XVI writes, "What earlier
generations held as sacred, remains sacred and great
for us too, and it cannot be all of a sudden entirely
forbidden or even considered harmful. It behooves all
of us to preserve the riches which have developed in
the Church's faith and prayer, and to give them their
proper place." These remarkable words of our Holy
Father are also being disrespected and disobeyed
almost universally, especially by many bishops.
Finally, Universæ Ecclesiæ, No. 8, states very
clearly that the Ancient Rite is a "precious treasure
to be preserved" and is to be "offered to all the
faithful." Where in the entire world of Catholicism
is this directive actually being obeyed? The same
number from Universæ Ecclesiæ emphasizes that the use
of the 1962 Roman Liturgy "is a faculty generously
granted for the good of the faithful and therefore is
to be interpreted in a sense favourable to the
faithful who are its principal addressees." This is
an astounding statement. This statement from Rome
means that the use of the 1962 Missal doesn't depend
on a particular bishop's liturgical views,
preferences, or theology. It's not about the bishops!
On the contrary, it's about the faithful! Where in
the entire world of Catholicism is this directive
actually being obeyed?

MJM:
Are you now able to offer the old Mass
exclusively?

FR: Since I began my new assignment (Sept. 24, 2011)
out in the rural, isolated missions of the El Paso
Diocese, I've offered the Traditional Latin Mass
exclusively. I consider this to be a marvelous and
unexpected blessing from Providence in the midst of a
very difficult trial. I hope to continue offering the
Traditional Latin Mass exclusively. If it were
strictly up to me, I would never celebrate the Novus
Ordo Missæ again. However, the sad reality of having
to "obey" in the Novus Ordo Church that has largely
lost the Faith, and the need to reach out patiently
to Novus Ordo faithful who have been so misled, means
that I will probably be "forced" to celebrate the
Novus Ordo occasionally. In these instances, however,
it will be the Novus Ordo ad orientem, with the Roman
Canon, the use of Latin, and Holy Communion
distributed according to traditional norms.

MJM:
Up until last year, I believe, things were pretty
quiet in your priestly life. What happened to change
all that?

FR: The local, and even national, "controversy" that
has engulfed me is due to the fact that I have been
vocal in promoting what the Roman Catholic Church
teaches in regard to the whole issue of
homosexuality. It's a disgrace, but the City Council
of El Paso has been adamant in trying to legitimize
same-sex unions. This goes completely contrary to
Catholic Church teaching. I've made it clear to the
Catholics of El Paso (and beyond) that every single
Catholic has a moral obligation before God Himself to
oppose any government attempt to legalize homosexual
unions. A Catholic who fails to oppose this
homosexual agenda, is committing a grave sin by
omission. Furthermore, if a Catholic doesn't assent
to the infallible moral teaching of the Church that
homosexual acts are mortally sinful, then such a
Catholic is placing himself / herself outside of
communion with the Church. These are the Catholics
who are actually excommunicating themselves, not the
Society of St. Pius X!

MJM:
I can understand why the civil authorities and media
might find this “controversial”; but why would your
ecclesial superiors find it so?

FR: The dismal response of both civil and
ecclesiastical authorities to the authentic teachings
of the Catholic Church in regard to homosexuality
demonstrates how extreme the current crisis of faith
actually is. It really can't get much worse. There's
hardly any faith left to lose! Even a pagan, bereft
of the light of faith, can arrive at the conclusion
that homosexual acts are intrinsically evil. Reason,
natural law, and consideration of the male and female
anatomy more than suffice to confirm this moral
truth.

MJM:
And yet you must go where the bishop tells you to go.
Is this difficult for you?

FR: In my particular circumstances, obedience to my
bishop has been incredibly difficult. Nevertheless,
obedience is essential to the priesthood, and I
intend to be obedient. One consoling aspect of
"sacrificial," "death-to-self" obedience, is that the
Holy Ghost will always come to one's assistance. I'm
reminded that my poor sufferings are nothing compared
to those of Mater Dolorosa and our Divine Redeemer.
If I'm counted as one even slightly worthy to suffer
for the Faith and the Traditional Latin Mass, I will
consider myself profoundly blessed. God is so good.

MJM:
As you are already living through a form of
persecution, I assume you foresee more to come not
only for you personally but for all Catholics who
stand in defense of Church teaching. But what about
the future? Any hope?

FR: Yes, I do foresee plenty of persecution still to
come for all those who remain steadfast in the Faith
and in their adherence to the Ancient Rite. However,
the promise of our Savior cannot but fill our souls
with hope, "Blessed are they that suffer persecution
for justice's sake, for theirs is the kingdom of
heaven. Blessed are ye when they shall revile you,
and persecute you, and speak all that is evil against
you, untruly, for My sake. Be glad and rejoice, for
your reward is very great in heaven." (Mt 5:10-12)

MJM:
How can lay Catholics best survive this crisis of
faith?

FR: In order to overcome this crisis of faith, we
must (1) do everything in our power to recover the
Catholic Faith: the Ancient Rite, traditional
Catholic teaching in doctrine and morals, the
theology and philosophy of St. Thomas Aquinas,
traditional Catholic piety and devotions, and a
traditional Catholic “code of living” or “rhythm of
life.” (2) On a daily basis we must strive to pray,
study, fast, do penance, and practice charity with
the aforementioned goal in mind. Finally, I strongly
urge all faithful Catholics to (3) pray the Holy
Rosary daily and heed our Blessed Mother's Message at
Fatima.

One of the hallmarks of the Traditional Latin Mass is
its exquisite and concentrated focus on eternity. If
we are to survive and overcome this terrible crisis
of faith in the post-Vatican II Catholic Church, we
have to keep our intellect and will focused on
eternity. We cannot lose hope when, from a worldly
perspective, all seems lost. Jesus Christ promises
“the kingdom of heaven” to those who endure
persecution, and “a great reward in heaven” to those
who suffer for His sake. (Mt 5:10-12) The final goal
is heaven! Like St. Paul, we must press ahead towards
the ultimate “prize” (Phil 3:14) and never cease to
“seek the things that are above, where Christ is
sitting at the right hand of God.” (Col 3:1)

MJM:
Like so many others, Father, I find myself deeply
moved by your powerful witness not only to the Faith
itself but also to the Catholic priesthood, which, as
you know so well, is under diabolical attack. Thank
you for this example of what it means to be a
Catholic in an era of persecution. May all of us have
the courage to follow your lead through the rough
seas still ahead.
Tweet

A retired Irish
Archbishop has admitted that he found the "Mass
of All Times" to be "lifeless and meaningless".
As an adherent of the Mass that saved souls and
made saints throughout the history of the
Catholic Church --I am stunned. Someone would
literally have to have lost the faith to have
such a reaction...sadly, it seems this is not
far from the mark...
FromCatholicculture:"Bishop Edward
Daly, the retired Irish bishop who is calling for
a change in the discipline of clerical celibacy,
“was ‘deeply disappointed’ by an experience of
celebration of the Mass in Latin some years ago,
which he found ‘lifeless and somewhat
meaningless,’” according to an Irish Times report
on his newly published memoirs. Bishop Daly added
that he is “very happy with the liturgy and
language of the Mass as we now have it.”

Here is a
fascinating interview with a Lutheran Pastor who
became a traditional Catholic priest. I find it
fascinating in many ways--most especially how this
man was treated by the so-called Catholic bishops in
his own diocese when he informed them of his desire
to convert.

Are certain masses
more meritorious and efficacious to your soul
than others? Is the Novus Ordo inferior to the
Tridentine in terms of obtaining grace? This may
be a foolish question to many --but so many are
in the dark and consider the two rites to be of
equal value. They are not. The following article
entitled theMerit of A
Massby Father Chad
Ripperger F.S.S.P.,which originally
appeared inLatin Mass
Magazinelays it out
beautifully. Beware however once you read it you
will refuse to put up with anything less than
the best and most efficacious of worship.

"Among the
traditional faithful there appears to be a kind of
intuitive sense that the old rite of Mass is more
efficacious than the new rite. Many believe that they
derive more spiritual gain from the old rite of Mass
than from the new. However, to give a more precise
expression to the intuitive sense of which is more
efficacious, the new or the old rite, it is necessary
to make several distinctions. Since the purpose of
this article is very specific, i.e. to ascertain
which ritual is more meritorious or efficacious,
certain issues regarding the value or efficacy of the
Mass will be avoided.1

Yet, to answer the question of whether the old rite
of Mass is more efficacious than the new is of
paramount importance. It is the point of departure
between priests of the respective rites, since each
holds that he is saying the Mass that is best for the
faithful.2 Nevertheless, the question is a key one
since, in the end, whichever ritual is more
meritorious ought to be the one that the Roman
authorities encourage. Since one of the primary
obligations of those in authority in the Church is
the glory of God through the salvation of souls, they
have the obligation to encourage and, in some cases,
require the ritual of the Mass which is most
efficacious.

I. Distinctions of Merit

The distinctions within the different kinds of merit
of the Mass are first founded on a distinction
between intrinsic and extrinsic merit or value. The
Catholic Encyclopedia says:

We must also sharply distinguish between the
intrinsic and the extrinsic value of the Mass (valor
intrinsecus, extrinsecus). As for its intrinsic
value, it seems beyond doubt that, in view of the
infinite worth of Christ as the Victim and High
Priest in one Person, the sacrifice must be regarded
as of infinite value, just as the sacrifice of the
Last Supper and that of the Cross. …But when we turn
to the Mass as a sacrifice of impetration and
expiation, the case is different. While we must
always regard its intrinsic value as infinite, since
it is the sacrifice of the God-Man Himself, its
extrinsic value must necessarily be finite in
consequence of the limitations ofRead
More...

We cannot afford to
ignore the manner in which God willed to
distribute the merits and graces of His death on
the Cross...
"The heart of
liturgical worship is the Mass. Just as the
redemptive work of Jesus reached its culminating
point on Calvary by His death on the Cross, so too
the liturgical action, which continues His work in
the world, has its climax in the Mass, which renews
and perpetuates on our altars the Sacrifice of the
Cross.Jesus has willed that the precious fruits of
redemption...be applied and transmitted to each of
the faithful in a particular way by their
participation in the Eucharistic
Sacrifice.This fountain of
grace which Jesus opened on Calvary continues to pour
over our altars; all the faithful are obliged to
approach it...Holy Mass is truly the "fountain of
life". By offering and immolating Himself continually
on our altars, Jesus repeats to us, "If any man
thirst let him come to Me and drink."

The Sacrifice of the Altar "is not merely a
commemoration of the Passion and Death of Christ, but
is a true and proper sacrifice, in which, by
immolating Himself in an unbloody manner, the great
high priest renews His previous act on the Cross. The
Victim is the same, so is the Priest, nothing but the
manner of offering is different -- bloody on the
Cross, unbloodyRead
More...

"Let
novelty cease to attack
antiquity"
These are the famous words of Pope St. Celestine in
the year 431 to the Ecumenical Council at Ephesus.
Years later St Vincent of Lerins adhered to this rule
when he cited it in his own doctrine --wherequod
ubique, oruniversitas est
incertum, i.e. where universal
agreement on a point of doctrine is uncertain, the
faithful must then inquire into thequod
sempororantiquitasi.e. into the
constancy and antiquity of the churches teaching on
the matter.

St Vincent stated:"Let
nothing more be granted to novelty because no
addition should be made to antiquity, let not the
clear belief of the ancients be polluted by an
intermixture of mire."
And what does the bible say on the topic of tradition
and novelties:

"So
then, brethren, stand firm and hold to the traditions
which you were taught, whether by word of mouth or by
letter from us."2
Thessalonians 2:15

"Now I
praise you because you remember me in everything, and
hold firmly to the traditions, just as I delivered
them to you."1 Cor.
11:2

"Now
we command you, brethren, in the name of our Lord
Jesus Christ, that you keep aloof from every brother
who leads an unruly life and not according to the
tradition which you received from us."2
Thessalonians 3:6
Our
culture is obsessed with change and novelty. Our
political leaders shove change down our throats and
disregard the wisdom of those who cameRead
More...

Therefore,
brethren, stand fast; and hold the traditions
which you have learned, whether by word, or by
our epistle. 2 Thessalonians 2:15
The longer a Tradition is present in the Church the
more we are certain that it reflects the will of God.
The Tridentine mass was developed organically over
the centuries since the time of Christ and was
codified by St. Pius V in the document "Quo Primum
Tempore," for all eternity. We can be certain of its
ability to communicate the faith, save souls and that
it conforms to the will of God.

As shocking as it may be to the modern man--we are
not free to devise our own relativistic and
subjective worship. Such an idea is just as absurd
and ridiculous as if you were invited into a
stranger's home who then proceeded to tellyouwhatyourfavorite
foods, drinks and music were. There are numerous
biblical examples of God revealing strong preferences
and highly specific methods of offering thanks,
praise and sorrow for one's sins--the earliest
account being that of Cain and Abel. Emotion driven,
man-centered, "feel good" and trendy services do not
conform to the will of God. We must seek God's will
in all things and most importantly in our worship.
This is why the willful suppression of Tradition and
the Mass of the Ages by so-called shepherds was no
less than the manifestation of the smoke of Satan
within the Church, and the prelude to the Great
Apostasy.

Here is An Open Letter to
Progressivists and Modernists by Father João Batista
de Almeida Prado Ferraz Costa as it appeared in
theRemnant:"The
work of the restoration of the Church carried out
with wisdom and strength by the Holy Father has faced
thousandsofhindrances
by the ignorant progressivists and the modernists
proud of their pseudo-science. These men, who are
enemies of all good, have done everything to prevent
the canonical regularization of the Priestly
Fraternity St. Pius X. For instance, the anarchist
heretic Hans Küng not only criticized the Pope for
approaching the traditionalists, but also incited the
Austrian clergy and laypeople against the appointment
of a certain auxiliary Bishop for a diocese in that
country.

Full of hypocrisy and unhappy with the
decreeof January 21, 2009,
which makes the unfair excommunication dated 1988
null and void, the modernists, when making reference
to the four bishops consecrated by Mons. Lefèbvre,
say, in a pejorative tone, “the Lefebvrist bishops”
or the “head of the Lefebvrists” or make comments
such as "the Lefebvrists bishops may not celebrate
Mass at Catholic churches.”

It is revolting to see so much hypocrisy. As we know,
the progressivists profane and destroy our old
churches, tear down altars and replace them with
Lutheran tables in front of the
tabernacle,andlend holy
places even to pagan rites (as occurred in Assisi).
They make every kind of “communicatio in sacris”. All
these sorts of things are allowed in their
distorted minds. However, providing the “Lefebvrists”
with an altar to say Mass in the Traditional Roman
Rite is not possible. No, this is a mortal sin!

"You brood of vipers! The harlots go into the kingdom
of God before you!"

You should know that the work founded by Mons.
Lefebvre had all necessary canonical licenses.
His seminary in Econe received a letter of
praisefrom the Sacred
Congregation for Catholic Education, which was
supported by one of the most respected theologians of
the twentieth century, Charles Cardinal Journet. The
canonical dissolution of the Priestly Fraternity
Saint Pius X - if we can use the word canonical – was
illegal. It did not comply with the rule set forth in
law. Nullius juris. If the excommunication of
the four bishops was revoked, with greater reason the
approving acts relative to the foundation of the
Priestly Fraternity Saint Pius X should be
revalidated.

All this becomes much more evidentbased
upon the Holy Father’s letter presenting the motu
proprio

"[B]ecause of its
richness, beauty, elevation, nobility and
ceremonial solemnity, because of its sense of
the sacred and reverential, because of its sense
of mystery, its greater precision and rigor --
thereby offering more security and protection
against abuses, without leaving space for
ambiguities, for the liberty, creativity,
adaptations, reductions and manipulations, as
Pope John Paul II lamented in the encyclical
"Ecclesia de Eucharistia" -- and being for us
the best liturgical expression of the
Eucharistic dogmas and solid spiritual
nourishment, it is one of the treasures of
Catholic liturgy, with which we express our love
and our communion with the holy Church."
-- Bishop Fernando Arêas Rifan of Brazil, on the
Latin Mass quoted by Zenit.

Here is an
interesting article on the growth of the Latin
Mass. From theWashington
Times:Roman Catholic
churches nationwide are rushing to accommodate a
surge in demand for the traditional Latin Mass,
which is drawing a surprising new crowd: young
people.
Since
July, when a decree from Pope Benedict XVI lifted
decades-old restrictions on celebrating the
Tridentine Mass, seven churches in the Washington
metropolitan area have added the liturgy to their
weekly Sunday schedules.
"I
love the Latin Mass," said Audrey Kunkel, 20, of
Cincinnati. "It"s amazing to think that I"m attending
the same Mass that has formed saints throughout the
centuries."
In
contrast to the New Order Mass, which has been in use
since the Second Vatican Council in 1969 and is
typically celebrated in vernacular languages such as
English, the Tridentine Mass is "contemplative,
mysterious, sacred, transcendent, and [younger people
are] drawn to it," said the Rev. Franklyn McAfee,
pastor of St. John the Beloved in McLean. "Gregorian
chant is the opposite of rap, and I believe this is a
refreshing change for them."
Susan
Gibbs, the director of communications from the
Archdiocese of Washington, said the attraction
demonstrated by the young adults is "very
interesting."
Besides
the liturgy"s rich historical content and
spiritualRead
More...

The liberal
leadership of the Church has consistently
demanded obedience from the orthodox faithful
yet they so often fail to obey Church teaching
and their own superiors. The lack of humility is
very unsettling.
Naples,
Sep. 17, 2007 (CWNews.com) - Bishop Raffaele Nogaro
of Caserta, Italy forbade the celebrate of the
celebration of the traditional Latin Mass on Sunday,
September 15, despite the permission granted by Pope
Benedict XVI (bio-
news) for
all priests to use the older liturgical form.

The Italian daily Il Messagero reports that Bishop
Nogaro ordered Msgr. Giovanni Battista Gionta to
cancel plans for a Mass using the 1962 Roman Missal
at the Shrine of St. Anne. Msgr. Gionta, who had
scheduled the Mass at the request of local Catholics,
posted a note at the shrine to announce that he was
changing plans. "I obey the bishop," he explained.

Il Messagero said that Bishop Nogaro ordered the
cancellation of the Mass "so as not to set a
precedent." The bishop said that he was taking action
to help his people pray properly, since"to mumble in Latin serves no
purpose."

Why is the Roman
Catholic Church returning to the past, and the
dead language of Latin by the liberalizing the
Tridentine rite Mass? Because throughout history
the use of Latin by the Church has served to
maintain unity, preserve mystery and reverence,
and protect against error.
"The Latin language is venerable on account of its
origin and its antiquity; it is the language in which
the praises of God resounded from the lips of
Christians during the first centuries. It is a
sublime and solemn thought that the Holy sacrifice is
now offered in the same language...with the very same
words as it was offered in times long past, in the
obscurity of the Catacombs."The
Catechism Explained, The Holy Sacrifice of the Mass,
Spirago & Clarke (1927)
"There is also an element of mystery about the Latin
tongue; it is a dead language not understood by the
people. The use of an unknown tongue conveys to the
mind ... that a mystery is being enacted. In the
first centuries of Christianity a curtain used to be
drawn during the time from the Sanctus to the
communion to conceal the altar from the sight of the
worshippers. This is now no longer done, but the use
of an unknown tongue has something of the same
effect, by inspiring awe..."The
Catechism Explained, The Holy Sacrifice of the Mass,
Spirago & Clarke (1927)
The use of Latin also protects the Church against
error and
Read More...

Here is an article
from theSt Louis Post Dispatchon the
growth of the Tridentine Latin Mass. Of course it
is not without more conjecture as to the release
date of the motu proprio

"The church's windows
are broken, its beige bricks are sooty, its paint is
chipped. The 300-foot steeple, a hallmark of the St.
Louis skyline, is pulling away from its foundation.
One day it could tumble into traffic on Gravois
Avenue.

St. Francis de Sales church, often called the
Cathedral of South St. Louis, is an ideal home for a
group of Roman Catholic priests devoted to
restoration. But restoring this 19th-century
neo-Gothic church to its former glory is only one
reason St. Louis Archbishop Raymond Burke assigned
the priests to oversee St. Francis de Sales.

The real mission of the group, called the Institute
of Christ the King Sovereign Priest, is the
restoration of the traditional Latin Mass.

The 1,600-year-old Mass isn't used much today, but
it's making a comeback.
That effort will get a boost Friday when Burke — one
of the most devoted supporters of the old Latin rite
among U.S. bishops — will ordain two deacons of the
Institute at the Cathedral Basilica. Burke has
ordained members several times in Italy, where the
institute is based outside Florence. But Friday will
mark the first time members of the 17-year-old
institute will beRead
More...

This
following article fromSlateis entitled "Can the
Latin Mass Make a Comeback?". It seems like asking
if water or air can make a comeback. It is as if
the return to the Tridentine Latin Mass is a mere
trend, when in reality all of creation awaits the
return of its mystery, reverence and grace.

"When word began to
spread last year that Pope Benedict XVI might release
a document that would allow some changes in the ways
Catholic worship on Sunday mornings, the reaction in
some quarters approached giddy enthusiasm. "It's
coming … it's coming!" wrote one blogger of the
imminent release of the papal decree. (As it turned
out, its release was not so imminent. Catholics who
were waiting are still waiting, though reports now
suggest the announcement could come in a few weeks.)

Most Vatican documents, it's probably safe to say,
are not designed to provoke such fits of anticipatory
glee. So, how to explain the excitement?

The long-rumored document—said to take the form of a
motu proprio, a personal initiative of the pope—would
allow for broader use of the Tridentine, or, as it's
commonly known, Latin Mass, by permittingRead
More...

Here is
secular analysis of the Pope and his mission to
restore latin to its proper place in the Church,
fromExpatica:"Pope
Benedict XVI may have raised a few eyebrows with his
red Prada shoes and Father Christmas-like "camauro"
hat but the German-born pontiff is no revolutionary
on Catholic Church matters.
No one
was surprised then when the German-born Pope Benedict
XVI issued strict rules on how to celebrate Mass and
reaffirmed the importance of the celibacy rule for
priests this month.

However, there was one minor aspect of
this apostolic exhortation, Sacramentum
Caritatis (Sacrament of Charity), that will likely
make waves: His decision to encourage the use of
Latin in Church.

"I ask that future priests, from their time in
the seminary, receive the preparation needed to
understand and to celebrate Mass in Latin, and also
to use Latin texts and execute Gregorian
chant,"the
pope wrote in his message to clergymen and ordinary
Catholics.

The traditional Tridentine Mass in Latin was replaced
with updated liturgies in localRead
More...

It is precisely
because of counter cultural priests like Fr.
Johnson that the Tridentine Rite was kept
alive and so many are now anxiously awaiting the
motu proprio.
Here is Fr. Johnson's obituary from theL.A. Times:

Father Daniel
Johnson, a champion of pre-Vatican II Roman Catholic
traditions and the centuries-old Tridentine Mass, has
died. He was 77.
Johnson died Sunday at a Duarte hospital after a long
illness.
"He was a pioneer in reforming liturgical reform,"
said Michael J. Sundstedt, a longtime parishioner at
St. Mary's by the Sea in Huntington Beach, where
Johnson served as pastor for 25 years before retiring
in 2004.
When Johnson arrived at the tiny wooden church in
1978, it was in danger of closing because membership
had dwindled to about 400 people, church
administrators recalled.
Johnson began walking door to door in the
neighborhood, sometimes in the rain, inviting people
to church. He also visited the Huntington Beach Pier
every evening, striking up
conversations.Read
More...

"...if we look through Europe we shall find on the whole
that just those nations and countries have lost their faith
in the divinity of Christ, who have given up devotion to
His Mother..."
Card. Newman
Amazon.com Widgets

"Idolatry
is committed, not merely by setting up false gods, but also
by setting up false devils; by making men afraid of war or
alcohol, or economic law, when they should be afraid of
spiritual corruption and cowardice."

G.K. Chesterton

________________

"No
one can be, at the same time, a sincere Catholic and a true
socialist."
Pope Pius XI

________

WHAT IS AGAINST TRUTH CANNOT BE JUST.
St Augustine

_________

"Whatever a man seeks, honors, or exalts more than God,
that is the god of his idolatry"
Archb. Ullathorne

__________

"Individual liberty, freed from all bonds and all laws, all
objective and social values, is in reality only a
death-dealing anarchy."
Pope Pius XIII

_________

"To understand how indispensable the Eucharist is to the
practice of Christian chastity is to understand the meaning
of Christianity. When Christ told us, "Without me, you can
do nothing," He meant this to be taken literally. Without
the constant help of His grace to enlighten our darkened
minds and strengthen our weak wills, all the moral precepts
of the New Testament are so much pious rhetoric or
religious jargon."
Fr John Hardon
_______________

"Accumulating knowledge is a form of avarice and lends
itself to another version of the Midas story ...man [is] so
avid for knowledge that everything that he touches turns to
facts; his faith becomes theology; his love becomes
lechery; his wisdom becomes science; pursuing meaning, he
ignores truth."
Malcolm Muggeridge

___________

"Now, tell me whether, when you enter church to hear Mass,
you thoroughly well consider that you are going up as it
were to Calvary, to be present at the death of the
Redeemer... Wickedness is hideous at any time, and in any
place; but sins committed during the time of Mass, and
before the altar, draw down after them the curse of God."
St. Leonard-Port Maurice

___________

"Paganism is as old as human history. In one sentence,
paganism is a culture of untruth."

Fr John Hardon S.J.

_____________

"That the State must be separated from the Church is a
thesis absolutely false, a most pernicious error."